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12.08.2013

elfing

The “elfing” has begun. “Elfing” is the term my husband
and I have created to describe some of my holiday preparations. I only wish I
could decorate as easily and abundantly as Will Farrell’s Elf.

As more and more of our family have joined the ranks of
adulthood, gift cards have become a favorite choice for gifting. Our wants and
wishes are few, and a gift card assures that whatever a recipient might acquire
will be perfectly suitable to their needs. When we first started giving gift
cards, I missed all the plotting and planning that had been involved in
selecting gifts, but then I shifted that creative energy to my gift wrapping
efforts.

Initially, I would place a gift card inside a small box, add a bit of candy or a single serving of coffee or cocoa and wrap it with some lovely paper and ribbon. Recycled candy boxes were the perfect size and easily obtained because of my insatiable Coffee Nip addiction. However, I learned that a candy box was not always the best gift box, since my gifts were occasionally left unopened until the recipient desired a piece of candy--yet another reason for making decorative gift card holders.

This year’s holiday packaging is inspired by some of the other gift wrapping experiments I’ve conducted throughout the year. Once again, I’m utilizing some of the handcrafted Lokta paper I purchased this summer. Its green, gold, and white color scheme has proved fitting for a number of projects. In this instance, I am partnering it with some shimmering white paper and sparkling rhinestones. Since so many gift card holders and soap sleeves needed to be made in a limited period of time, I decided to use items I could purchase from the wedding and jewelry sections of an arts and crafts store. The sheer white bags were the perfect size for soaps, and one strand of rhinestones supplied numerous individual pieces that could be separated and then attached to packaging with jump rings. The holiday season is upon us, and I hope it finds you enjoying a bit of "elfing" of your own.